band Steely Dan have announced an initial smattering of dates for a spring U.S. tour.

Confirmed so far are June 13 and 14 shows at Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles, according to a representative from the group's management office who asked not to be named. The outing is slated to kick off May 31 at a Pacific Northwest venue that has not been shored up.

"We'll be finalizing that in the next few days," the management contact said.

A full itinerary is expected to be posted on the group's Web site

(www.steelydan.com) April 9.

Two Against Nature, the rock combo's first studio album since

Gaucho (1980), debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200 albums chart two weeks ago. It will slide to #19 on this week's chart, according to sales figures released Wednesday (March 22) by SoundScan.

The album, which includes the single "Cousin Dupree" (RealAudio excerpt), finds the core duo of singer/keyboardist Donald Fagen and bassist/guitarist Walter Becker showing their penchant for intricate studio perfection.

Before their U.S. dates, Steely Dan will play five shows in Japan from May 1420, according to their Web site.

In addition, the band taped an episode of "VH1 Storytellers" last month that will air May 1, a VH1 spokesperson said. During the taping, Fagen and Becker were joined onstage by Jon Herington (guitar); Cornelius Bumpus and Chris Potter (saxophone); Michael Leonhart (trumpet); Jim Pugh (trombone); Ricky Lawson (drums); Tom Barney (bass); Ted Baker (keyboards); and Victoria Cave, Carolyn Leonhart and Cynthia Calhoun